The provincial government has announced a plan to help address surgical backlogs for hip and knee replacement surgeries.

Premier Andrew Furey made the announcement at Confederation Building Thursday.

Beginning this fall, a number of hip and knee replacements will be performed as outpatient procedures. That means patients will mobilize shortly after surgery and return home the same day.

Government says same-day joint replacements will help minimize wait times and improve access, as a barrier to care in some cases has been a lack of available beds for in-patient care.

As well, it comes with a host of benefits including less risk of blood clots, a less invasive surgery, shorter hospital stays, lower risk of infection, and more.

Eastern Health CEO David Diamond says the new approach will require four new positions, including two registered nurses, a physiotherapist, and a clerical support person.

He says they are hoping to have everything in place by the fall. He states that they will be starting out with two inpatient procedures per day Monday to Friday, which will eventually be increased to four procedures a day. In total, that equates to 200 procedures a year. Their goal is to have 20 per cent of all procedures done as outpatients.